Ethernet connections allow devices such as computers to communicate over a switched transmission medium. A multi-port Ethernet device may include a Media Access Control (MAC) interface for each port. However, multi-port physical layer (PHY) Ethernet devices typically employ multi-component designs, precluding features such as media conversion, cable extension, and port mirroring. External components in the form of Programmable Logic Devices, passive components and/or wiring are generally required.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for allowing flexible and independent assignment of receive and transmit data paths from any port in an Ethernet physical layer device to any MAC interface for the device.